Thank you for your perspective, nyeng. It's not one we hear often from our readers and it is good to hear this perspective from the corporate engineering trenches. It's unfortunate that you aren't enjoying your experience and I hope things change or perhaps you find a better job or career path.

You are so missing the point. Your career is YOUR responsibility. Go out and find a new job. You are stuck in Dilbertville. There are many great companies out there that cherish and reward their employees. You found one that does not. Now go trade those first few years if experience in for a good job at a flourishing company instead if pouting at a floundering one! Your happiness at work is under tour control--THAT'S why you got that Masters degree! Good luck!!

You're right about young, bright engineering minds out there, Elizabeth. One of them is our current teanage Gadget Freak. Also, I believe new technology will draw a greater number of young people into engineering. We're seeing a lot of flash in robotics, automotive, manufacturing, and consumer electronics that is likely to grab the imagination of a new generation.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.